This
shows the Inconvenience of that pretended Improvement.
From the same Fondness for an even and uniform Appearance of
Characters in the Line, the Printers have of late banished also the
Italic Types, in which Words of Importance to be attended to in the
Sense of the Sentence, and Words on which an Emphasis should be put
in Reading, used to be printed. And lately another Fancy has induced
some Printers to use the short round _s_, instead of the long one,
which formerly served well to distinguish a word readily by its
varied appearance. Certainly the omitting this prominent Letter
makes the Line appear more even; but renders it less immediately
legible; as the paring all Men's Noses might smooth and level their
Faces, but would render their Physiognomies less distinguishable.
Add to all these Improvements _backwards_, another modern
Fancy, that grey Printing is more beautiful than black; hence the
English new Books are printed in so dim a Character, as to be read
with difficulty by old Eyes, unless in a very strong Light and with
good Glasses. Whoever compares a Volume of the _Gentleman's
Magazine_, printed between the Years 1731 and 1740, with one of those
printed in the last ten Years, will be convinced of the much greater
Degree of Perspicuity given by black Ink than by grey.
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